SOLON, Ohio--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nestlé Prepared Foods Company today announced a major makeover of the beloved HOT POCKETS® brand sandwiches line, the biggest changes in the brand’s 30 years. Featuring “Better Taste, Better Quality.™” with new premium cuts of meat, new buttery seasoned crusts, and real cheese, the new and improved HOT POCKETS sandwiches are “Irresistibly Hot™” and now available at participating retail stores nationwide with a money-back guarantee. If consumers aren’t completely satisfied with the new and improved HOT POCKETS sandwiches, their purchase will be refunded. (For more information, go to hotpockets.com/HotterPockets).
HOT POCKETS is truly making over everything – from ingredients to flavor to look and aroma – and the new improvements are front and center in brand-new television/advertising efforts in addition to changes in packaging. HOT POCKETS also showcases the new and improved changes in all of its social media, including Facebook and Twitter, and on its official website, with even more exciting news in the pipeline.
The improved flavor varieties of HOT POCKETS sandwiches include premium meats such as 100% Angus Beef, Hickory Ham, Signature Pepperoni, and White Meat Chicken. New HOT POCKETS sandwiches are wrapped in delicious new crusts with baked-in flavor. The pizza varieties feature a new garlic buttery seasoned crust, and the deli sandwich varieties have a new crispy buttery seasoned crust. While much is new, Nestlé did not mess with success in remaking HOT POCKETS sandwiches: the new recipes still give consumers the convenient meal and snack they love with improved flavor and even better quality ingredients.
“HOT POCKETS is excited to grow with its fan base, and really, the dialogue with our fans has spurred these major changes,” said brand director Daniel Jhung. “Our fans, namely millennial consumers, have high food IQs and high expectations, and because they expect more, we gave it to them. In blind taste tests, three out of five consumers significantly preferred the new and improved HOT POCKETS Pepperoni Pizza sandwiches over our prior recipes. In fact, we are so confident fans will love the new and improved HOT POCKETS sandwiches that we are offering a money-back guarantee.”
The new HOT POCKETS brand sandwiches also have a new spokesperson—celebrity chef Jeff Mauro, host of the Food Network series “Sandwich King” and “$24 in 24.” Mauro previously was crowned the winner of “The Next Food Network Star” competition during its seventh season. Together with Chef Lucien Vendôme of the Nestlé Culinary Center in Solon, Ohio, Mauro opened the doors of the Nestlé Kitchen in Chatsworth, Calif. for the first time to show the public all of the quality care and ingredients that go into making HOT POCKETS sandwiches.
“As the ‘Sandwich King’, I know what elements go into making the perfect sandwich,” Mauro said. “I’ve always enjoyed HOT POCKETS sandwiches, but the new and improved varieties are incredibly good. Offering a sandwich trifecta – with new premium cuts of meat, new buttery seasoned crusts and real cheese, it’s the perfect combination of quality ingredients and delicious flavor. The new HOT POCKETS sandwiches taste great, and I look forward to reintroducing them to fans everywhere.”
Noted Chef Vendôme: “HOT POCKETS sandwiches are made in the same way as I would make a great tasting hot sandwich in my own kitchen, just on a larger scale. We don’t make frozen food here – we make great tasting hot sandwiches with quality ingredients, bake them fresh daily, then freeze them. And we promise you will love the new HOT POCKETS sandwiches – your satisfaction is guaranteed.”
More information about the making of the new and improved HOT POCKETS brand sandwiches from Jeff Mauro and Chef Vendôme, along with valuable coupons (while supplies last), may be found at hotpockets.com/HotterPockets.
About HOT POCKETS Brand Sandwiches
For 30 years, HOT POCKETS® and LEAN POCKETS® brand sandwiches have provided hungry consumers a delicious any-time meal or snack, making it the hottest frozen sandwich across America. Made with savory premium meats, new buttery seasoned crusts, and real cheese, HOT POCKETS pioneered a new category of frozen sandwiches and snacks, which were acquired by Nestlé in 2002. Available in grocers’ freezers, the Irresistibly Hot™ sandwiches have evolved into an iconic American brand that’s become a staple in American pop culture, and are perfectly portioned to be nutritious and delicious. Visit us at hotpockets.com and leanpockets.com.
About Nestlé USA
Named one of “The World’s Most Admired Food Companies” in Fortune magazine for 16 consecutive years, Nestlé provides quality brands and products that bring flavor to life every day. From nutritious meals with LEAN CUISINE® to baking traditions with NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE®, Nestlé USA makes delicious, convenient, and nutritious food and beverage products that make good living possible. That’s what “Nestlé. Good Food, Good Life” is all about. Nestlé USA, with 2012 sales of $10 billion, is part of Nestlé S.A. in Vevey, Switzerland — the world’s largest food company with a commitment to Nutrition, Health & Wellness — with 2012 sales of $98 billion. For product news and information, visit NestleUSA.com or Facebook.com/NestleUSA.
